snap judgment

Idioms  

1. A hurried or impetuous decision or finding, as in George was known for making snap judgments on personnel questions; he rarely bothered to investigate further. This expression, which uses snap in the sense of “quick,” was first recorded in 1841.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snap judgment

Thomas allowed agents to make this snap judgment themselves, at the border, without “clear and convincing evidence” that the LPR really did commit the offense.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

Defense attorney Craig Harbaugh asserted the FBI was desperate to find the person responsible and made a snap judgment, focusing on Beal and ignoring other evidence and suspects.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 17, 2022

Even worse, I couldn’t show a picture to my friends so they could make a snap judgment about him, a crucial element of date vetting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2022

“Dana H.” compels you to relinquish any impulse to snap judgment.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 18, 2021

We typically regard our snap judgment as best on immediate trivial questions.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell